Pneumatic fireman&#39;s tool for breaking glass blocks and other wall building materials



Aug. 7, 1962 H. E. ROEDER PNEUMATIC F'IREMAN'S TOOL FOR BREAKING GLASS BLOCKS AND OTHER WALL BUILDING MATERIALS 2 SheetS-SheetI l Filed July 27, 1960 I zwezaos- Haafod E Roedezd 77M uoazeg;

3,048,161 KING GLASS BLOCKS MATERIALS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug. 7, 1962 H. E. ROEDER PNEUMATIC FIREMANS TOOL FOR BREA AND OTHER WALL BUILDING Filed July 27, 1960 United States Patent 3,048,161 PNEUMATIC FIREMANS TOOL FOR BREAKING GLASS BLOCKS AND OTHER WALL BUILDING MATERIALS Harold E. Roeder, 6 Churchill Lane, Lexington, Mass. Filed July 27, 1960, Ser. No. 45,675 3 Claims. (Cl. 12S-40) This invention relates to an improved percussion type iire iighting apparatus, and more particularly to a pneumatically operated percussion head for use in breaking through a side wall of a burning building in order to provide a suitable air vent.

lDiiiiculty is presently experienced by firemen in dealing with side wall structures of buildings constructed from so-called Glass Blocks, These blocks are extremely resistent to penetration by remens axes and even conventional forms of percussive tools. It is further difricult to enlarge a small opening to a required size in order to provide quickly a suiiiciently large venting aperture.

It is a chief object of the present invention to provide an improved firemens tool and to devise a pneumatically actuated type of block piercing member for use in venting building sidewalls of glass block construction as well as other structures.

A still further object is to provide a .special percussion head which combines a piercing tip with a plurality of impact surfaces capable of smashing through glass blocks and rapidly enlarging a small entering opening.

Another object of the invention is to provide a block breaking tool which can be conveniently attached to and operated with conventional types of hammers and similar devices.

Still another object is to devise a breaking tool having novel hand guard means provided therein.

The nature of the invention and its other objects and novel features will be more fully understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating fragmentarily sidewall construction and further indicating the block breaking tool of the invention in an operative position;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view showing the several component parts of the `block breaking tool detached from the air hammer member indicated in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the head of the block breaking tool; and

FIG. 4 is a cross section taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

In accordance with the invention I have devised a novel combination of pneumatic hammer and glass smashing tool which includes an elongated shaft, a percussive head having a piercing tip, and a series of impact surfaces occurring in specially stepped relationship to the piercing tip. These impact surfaces are arranged in a position to progressively smash and break out sections of glass block material of the type commonly used in sidewalls of glass block construction. A further important feature of thetool is a plurality of conical surfaces which are separated from one another by Vshaped grooves. These conical surfaces are designed to exert a unique reaming laction in conjunction with hammer blows. To augment the hammering action of the impact surfaces, I further provide a plurality of radially disposed hammer bars located in spaced-apart relationship to one another. I

Considering this structure in greater detail, numeral 2 3 ,648, l li i Fatented Aug. 7, 1962 denotes an elongated body portion. This elongated body portion 2, as shown in FIG. 2, is formed at one end with a reduced shank 4 adapted to engage in a suitable chuck mechanism, or other holding device for a pneumatic hammer, for example.

In FIG. l, I have illustrated a pneumatic hammer of conventional construction which operates to reciprocate the percussion head of the invention at a relatively high rate of speed, and thus provides for delivering a series of hammer blows against the surface of a glass wall. The pneumatic hammer is indicated by the numeral 6 in FIG. l andthe elongated body portion Z is shown supported by an operator in a horizontally disposed position and engaging against a wall W composed of glass blocks as B, B1, B2, etc.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, the percussion head, generally indicated by reference character H, is rigidly mounted on an extremity 2a of body portion 2 which extends through `a centrally located opening 3, as best shown in FIG. 4. 'Ihe percussion head H is formed with a rear flat surface 10 which is designed to abut solidly against an annular shoulder 12 formed on the elongated body portion 2, as suggested in FIG. 4.

The percussion head H comprises an annular part 5 which is further formed with a forwardly extending conical section 7 (FIG. 4). At the front of the conical section 7 is solidly fitted a piercing tip 9, also of conical form, as indicated in FIGS. 3 and 4.

In accordance with the invention I provide a series of impact surfaces which occur in successively stepped relationship on the conical piercing tip 9; also on the conical section 7, and also on the annular part 5. These impact surfaces are further arranged such that each surface lies adjacent to a conical reaming surface. By means of this varrangement alternate reaming and hammering are successively carried out to rst pierce, and `then progressively smash out portions of the glass blocks as suggested by blocks B2 and B3 in FIG. l, and thus provide desired vents.

As may be more clearly seen from an inspection of FIGS. 2 and 4, the tip 9 comprises a rst conical surface S which is recessed to provide a cylindrical part C, an impact surface Sl, another conical surface S2, and a cylindrical part C1.

Likewise, the member 7 is formed to provide a cylindrical part C2 of the same diameter as part C1, an impact surface S3 and a conical surface S4. The surface S4 is further interrupted by a plurality of V-grooves as 15, y17 and I9. Immediately adjacent to the interrupted conical surface S4 are located a plurality of hammer bars 20, 22', 24, etc., which are tted into the annular part 5 of the head to provide a series of spaced-apart radially disposed members as shown in FIG. 3.

In operation a fireman may assume a position, as shown in FIG. 1, with the elongated body portion 2 held in the left hand which is protected by means of a circular guard G secured at an intermediate portion of the member 2 as illustrated in FIGS. l, 2 and 3. With the pneumatic hammer 6 reciprocated from a portable source of compressed air carried by the operator, the percussion head is firmly held against the surface of a glass block such as the block B of FIG. l, and the conical piercing tip 9 engages in the block and starts to form a small opening. 'Ihe conical surface S of the piercing tip immediately enlarges the pierced hole throughout a small section of the glass block. The edges of the hole thus started are almost immediately subjected to a hammering action from the small impact surface S1 which tends to smash and break away small portions of the glass block in an effective manner. This provides for a further enlarging and reaming action to be carried out by the conical surface S2. Similarly, the second impact surface S3 l'opening isiealized and a special typeofieaming ieeac'- 1,5 "complished by means ofr the interr/uptedsurfacesl ianddj its V-grooves, The Vgrooves yoperate to cuty intoythe':

then comes into contact with the constantly enlarginghele v Wallwofftwhetyp constriictedifioin glassy/block niateriaL [t f .t f and immediately ystarts to smash and vlineal; aWayWaddif said tool comprisingin .combination `anel'cfi'igdd,Sfhlff n j f tional iportionsioithe glass block material. a n pnenmatic-ineane for 'reciprocatingisaidshaft,La Lpercns-Q, i

At this stageof` hole piercing la( substantildiameterjof f sion'healfmountedlatene endof the lshaftisaidpercusi i i onheadinclndingal tperedibroaching tipfor `piercing' in the `glansblockr maten'al, a lpluralityof conical Y "g enifacesi'located; :rearwardly -off'the `tip and exi glass block material forming notches' Whchf igendto inf ending Wardly inaiadiallyincieaeing dimension i duce linescofcrackinguandbpeaking inthe glassyiblfock B1rgthe-nei2eofithelioieQfeachof'saidconicalreamf f material `radiating outwardly in all directional@ As the` 1Q ing Snrfacesbeing Separated from one another by annular` f full diameterl of the conical surface `S4 iewerked into ,f -shouldefedpotion`s projectingont'wardly .atirightivangles U rial mfayfbeejashed outfand dislodgeiqae;euggeetedin"15efftiiejfiiolaandl eiefgosedionterpsnrfaeesiofflglaee y*block occurring in alternating `successien,y `as",(lIeSeritniigabinye, I I am enabled to avoidjamming and clog'giiiggof` theftooll 30 breaking through the glassvwall to obtainy desired venting yof the `invention has lbeenvfound tti/completely rollen;eineAM the glass block material; the hainrnei ele'rnents;` Z0 finally` kto'the axeiof theShaft` tocpifovidefadseiies lof firnpacttsnI-.o begin to strike against ytliejpartially` biokenandferacked i f? pr greesivelyjlargetiadialf dimensionwherebyy material and tlieieaitenrelativelyy large olmnlgsof matef` 'the breakin icesfniay befexeredagainstibotllaedgesx.

FIGLL, f i i "maierialimmediatelysurrounding`theghole 1 l` have foundxthat by carryingA out theiglas'sksmashingg, "rucn'i asd infilf Wliiclitlie conical` operationlwith'progressive `steps ofimpac and i teaming surfaces,@are` Iforniedfiyith gifeove; occnreing in pacedapartrelationltodeiineeuttingedgen 'y n U *n LA tnnetureqaedeiiied,fnclairnliincliidingfaipiu Whl tends t0 take place/1f :the 'Snecma' Communion@ t "mi yef'eadiaiiyanposea ,nimmabaies` immaA in spaced Workmg Surfaces are "not employed AS` fapldliy'f i, fapartrrelation Varminid the baseoffthe permission head.r

such aproblem. i i .i y K 395,700 '1t is intended that thetoolmayalsobe`lseclinbneale` 79258. ing rthrough` rVarious ,otherf structures, eithenin connejci lfliZL-ZYZ tion with ireghting, or'inlothe'r operations. y 1,602,405

Fromithe foregoing description, it` wilibe yapparent 117173864k i i l that lhavedisclosed'a novel liii-e iightng tooliwliiclamayj ,2,15355975` i Feb`. 19%k V1952;A be conveniently combined witha kstemdaidAforiifnof pneu-v 2,722,918 d n t j.; N0Y- 81,1955 matic hammer held by avrenianin apositiontorajidll i i V U f i obtain-the desiredventingfresulte: i if@ 35 j f QREIQN *Ffh i i l While i haveshqwna preferredembedinientl efthe Mensa Gennari Wennen ,oen 22,11930-1* invention, it will 'be understood thatfyariousfclangesl f i and modications maybe resorted toinfkeeping withH f REFERENCES u f the scope of the appended claims.,V *i r Shield?kfrbmyPopular Science'ofkSePmyg l. A reinans to'ol'for breakingit'hrough'abuilding QQberlSSQijon page 197. "(,Copiesin Scientific Libray.) 

